| |
| |
|
Marketing Information |
|
|
|
Using a Contact List Profitably- Part Two
Besides a survey, your contact list can be used to generate sales directly. Some of the following ideas must be done one-on-one and others can be done to large quantities of prospects at a time. They all have varying levels of effectiveness. A general rule of thumb is: The more personal the contact, the greater the chances of a sale. That means that an in-person interview has a better success rate than a mass mailing. 1. The in-person interview. As the name suggests, this is something that is done in-person where you have the advantages of eye contact, voice inflection and body language. Although, very time consuming, it is extremely effective in generating sales. Much has been written about the "presentation", but the main facet should always be finding out what's in it for the client to do business with you. What do they need and what have you got that satisfies that need. This is the basis for ALL sales and I don't see that changing any time in the near future. 2. Direct mail. Much has ALSO been written about direct mail. You can expect a 1-3% return from direct mail. A lot depends on how targeted the mailing list is, how effective the envelope is in getting prospects to open it, how effective the letter is describing the product or service and how competitive the offer is to what the receiver is currently using. 3. Call-to-Action pieces. These CAN be distributed by mass mail but are often delivered by hand to individual homes/businesses. These include door hangers, coupons, and flyers. These pieces have an offer that has a limited time to respond, has specific requirements for qualification to take advantage of the offer and/or is otherwise limited in its scope. An effective way to do this is to team up with another business and share client lists. Find a business that offers a complimentary product to yours (you sell houses- they give mortgages; you sell tee shirts, they have a health club) and do a joint offer to both lists involving both businesses. 4. Use your contact list to generate referrals. Each one of the people on your contact lists knows 250 people (according to Reader's Digest). Your contact list is a GOLD MINE of referrals. I currently offer a $50.00 credit to anyone sending me a referral that turns into a client. That amount is offered on a $200.00 sale, so it's a 25% finders fee. It is not always necessary to financially reimburse persons who send you a referral, though. It is ALWAYS necessary to send a THANK YOU. That THANK YOU can be in the form of a finders fee, a discount coupon, or just a simple THANK YOU note. This goes a long way in developing good, strong relationships. Appreciation never goes out of style. Nancy Roebke, is the Executive Director of Profnet Inc, a professional business leads generation corporation. We bring business professionals together in a non-competitive environment to help each other make more money. mailto:execdirector@profnet.org http://www.profnet.org Copyright c Nancy Roebke
MORE RESOURCES:
Marketing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Customers Are Like Vampires No, customers aren't bloodsuckers (well, maybe a few are!) and they don't come out only at night. According to legend, vampires don't come in until they are invited. How to Put the Profit Producing Power of Couponing to Work for You Coupons have proven themselves to be highly effective sales tools for every conceivable size and type of business.Because coupons "pull in the business" they have gained remarkable acceptance and popularity among astute marketing managers. After Your Postcard Mailing: Follow Up with Finesse I've heard a lot of people lament the fact that they just sent out a big postcard mailing, and, alas, no one called. Hey, it's happened to me. Gaining Business Intelligence A white paper on how companies should analyse customer data to gain better business intelligence and how they can use that knowledge. In an increasingly competitive world, using your client database smartly, to gain a better understanding of your number one asset - your customers - can make or break the success of your company. Communication Breakdown - Dont Let It Happen To You Do you have Communication breakdown?How are you communicating with your contacts?We need:Contacts we can send emails to regarding our businessopportunities.Contacts we can build up a good working relationship with,similar interests as far as business opportunities go. Keeping Marketing Simple / Ten Simple Steps 1. Business CardsIt is very important to market yourself via business cards. 2 Little Words That Work Marketing Magic In his classic best-seller, "How To Win Friends And Influence People," Dale Carnegie's second chapter is entitled The Big Secret of Dealing With People. The secret is summed up in this principle: Give honest and sincere appreciation. Chill Out With A Summer Time Marketing Plan Is your business experiencing a summer time slump? Traditionally only industries related to travel enjoy a boost in business during the warmer months. The rest of us tend to take vacations, clean up our desk and while away the time playing computer games while we wait for business to pick up. Postcard Direct Mail Marketing: 15 Ways To Grab Attention If you use direct mail postcards to generate leads or sell a product or service, you need to create postcards that grab your prospect's attention. The place to do that is Side A, the side that doesn't have the stamp and address on it. Step by Step Guide to an SMS Campaign SMS is good for:? Short lead times and immediacy? Cost effective personalised communication? Ongoing 1 to 1 relationships? Automated data capture and compliance? Direct revenue and uplift opportunitiesBasic Rules for SMSIn addition to permission, there are five key elements that differentiate SMS marketing from traditional marketing. These are also the key success factors for its use. Walking Talking Advertisements So you've made a sale. Great!Now what? You're not just going to sell your new customer a product and let them walk away, are you?Not when you're marketing on tight budget! You now have to use the customer in front of you to build your business, and you do that with a successful referral program. Non-Aggressive Marketing Ideas for Enterpreneurs Do you cringe at the thought of trying to promote your business ? Does it feel like "selling yourself" or egotism? Many individuals are not comfortable with marketing dimension of running a business.This leads to an inner frustation for many and inner conflicts. Marketing Strategy - Spell Out Your Unique Value I attended a "Sales Focus" seminar a few years back in which the speaker asked this key question. "Why, based on all the competitive alternatives available to me, would I want to buy from you?" What a great question. The Real Marketing Genius I spend a lot of my time reading books and listening to tapes about business and marketing. I guess that's understandable. How to Take Your Law Firm to the Next Level How to Take Your Law Firm to the Next LevelThird in a series of three articlesSO you've done such a good job at bringing in new clients to your firm that you're swamped with business, your firm is large and growing, and all parts of your marketing system are in place and running smoothly? Congratulations!If you can confidently answer "yes!" to the following metrics, then you're ready to take your practice to the next level:? Is your firm's mission perfectly aligned with your market?? Do your marketing efforts create exactly the relationship your customers most want and need?? Are your services well packaged, presented with a What's In It For Me? punch, and priced at various levels?? Do you know exactly where and how to promote your firm's services?? Does your marketing system routinely and predictably create the kinds of new customers your business requires?What happens next in many successful firms, however, is not good news. Instead of sticking with what's created success in the first place, the focus shifts away from a marketing mindset. Why Cutting Prices Is Like Cutting Your Own Throat Why cutting your prices is like cutting your own throat. It's the oldest sales tactic in the world? And one of the worst? Price cutting. Effective Use of Promotional Products and Ad Specialties 1. Determine the goals of your promotional products program. Packaging Trends You Cannot Overlook (Part #2) Part #26) Food safety is becoming paramount.What this means to you: No longer are the words tampering and bio terrorism buzz phrases. Direct Mail Response Rate Boosters (12 tips and ideas) 1. Mail to a different listYour list is the most important part of your direct mail campaign. How to Write Irresistible Promotional Pieces that Attract More and Better Clients Whether you're creating a sales letter, a brochure, a newsletter, or any other business promotional piece, you need to write in a way that not only explains your product or service, but that also compels your prospects to contact you. A well-written promotional piece entices people to seek out more information, whether it be via a phone call, an e-mail, or an in-person visit.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
